Say goodbye to Hollywood

Lights, camera, traction ! For what I sincerely expect will be the final time in 2009 I rolled out of my driveway a few minutes after five in the morning for a pre work training ride. The air was a brisk 34 degrees and my face felt like I had just splashed on a heaping helping of Old Spice for the first five minutes. The climb warmed me and soon only my eyes were cold.

The new batteries were a huge improvement to my feeble light, although I still yearn for the Light & Motion Stella 150N which strikes a good balance between cost and performance for my occasional pre dawn outings (and can be found on sale from time to time).

My purpose this morning was to just log some saddle time, burn calories and not go hard. I will confess I really enjoyed the last part. Especially since there was abundant frost on lawns, cars and the like, this was a day where not being in a rush was a much safer way to roll.

I am realizing that my training needs more contrast. I am riding a few days a week, but I haven’t really allowed myself many “easy” days. I need to make my hard days harder, and my easy days easier. I think I have inadvertently trained myself to go at 90% all the time.

When I left work last night the moon was rising in the east (where it usually does) and the sky was cloudless and the moon looked like a spotlight. This morning the moon was in the western sky and still as bright as ever. Even as I pulled into work this morning the moon had not yet set. It was a reminder of how short the days are now.

Next week I will be racing in Bend where it will be sunny and below freezing. While I spent all last winter perfecting the 35 degree ride, it will be colder in Bend, and I will be racing instead of just riding.

Stay tuned.